Missing deaf dog reunited with owner in heartwarming reunion

SANTA FE, N.M. – It’s a reunion one New Mexico family is calling a miracle. Rufus, a 5-year-old deaf blue heeler, escaped from his Santa Fe home almost a year ago – but his family never stopped looking for him.

When Rufus was found, his owners were in Spain. Now, just two days and thousands of miles later, we got to watch them meet in person at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter.

When Rufus escaped from his Santa Fe home last September, Marisa Martinez did not hesitate to ask local volunteer group, Team Frijoles, to help find him.

“We as a team immediately went into action, started getting posters created, generated putting them up,” said Michelle Lord with Team Frijoles. “Quite a bit of time went by, we would get a few sightings but never anything verified.”

Until July 3 of this year.

“We got lucky somebody spotted him,” said Wendy Katzman with Team Frijoles. 

A motorcyclist took a picture of a loose dog wandering on Caja Del Rio road and sent it to Team Frijoles.

“He was in the right place at the right time,” said Lord. 

They set up cameras, a comfort feeding area, and eventually a trap.  

“We used a basic Tomahawk four-foot trap, we put food at the very back of it” Katzman said. 

Eight days later, the team safely captured Rufus, identified him by chip then arranged a virtual reunion with his family, who were out of the country at the time.

Early Monday morning, a real reunion, almost a year in the making.

If you have a lost pet in Santa Fe or come across an animal you think may be far from its home, reach out to Team Frijoles at 505-433-7439. Or you can visit, Team Frijoles’ Facebook page.

Watch the video above to see this heartwarming reunion.